Jonny Kearney & Lucy Farrell were a contemporary English folk duo. Although they played some traditional songs, most of the songs they sang were their own compositions influenced by the folk tradition, but also songs by other artists such as Bob Dylan, Tom Waits,

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

Brian Wilson Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...

and The Beatles. Kearney took lead vocals, guitar, piano and ukulele; Farrell played fiddle, viola and saw and added harmony vocals. Together they produced a sparse sound described by '' The Guardian'' as "delicate, thoughtful and intimate".

Career

Kearney is from

Hexham Hexham ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Northumberland, England, on the south bank of the River Tyne, formed by the confluence of the North Tyne and the South Tyne at Warden, Northumberland, Warden nearby, and ...

in Northumberland and Farrell from Maidstone in Kent. They met whilst studying on

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is ...

's Folk and Traditional Music course in 2005, where Kearney was awarded the Alan Hull prize for songwriting. Having gigged at folk clubs and festivals, including Green Man, End of the Road and Cambridge Folk Festival, they came to the attention of fellow North East England folk musicians The Unthanks. Adrian McNally from The Unthanks produced their first six-song EP entitled ''The North Farm Sessions'' after the farm belonging to Rachel Unthank and Adrian McNally, where it was recorded. The EP, released in May 2010 on Rabble Rouser Records, comprised largely their own compositions with a rearrangement of one traditional song, and met with effusive reviews from ''The Guardian'', ''

Uncut Uncut may refer to: * ''Uncut'' (film), a 1997 Canadian docudrama film by John Greyson about censorship * ''Uncut'' (magazine), a monthly British magazine with a focus on music, which began publishing in May 1997 * '' BET: Uncut'', a Black Enter ...

'', '' Q Magazine'' and

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

. Tracks from the EP were featured on BBC Radio 1,

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...

and

BBC 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

with a Campfire Special session recorded for Rob da Bank's Radio 1 show in October 2010. Support slots on tours by The Unthanks and

Bellowhead Bellowhead is an English contemporary folk band, active from 2004 to 2016, reforming in 2020. The eleven-piece act played traditional dance tunes, folk songs and shanties, with arrangements drawing inspiration from a wide range of musical style ...

followed in 2009/10, with favourable reviews. In 2010 Jonny Kearney & Lucy Farrell were nominated for the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards' Horizon award which is given to best emerging artists. They were also nominated for an award for best duo in the 2012 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Their first full length album, ''Kite'', also recorded at North Farm, was released on 10 October 2011. The intimacy of the duo’s sound is still at the heart of the record, but is fleshed out at times by Adrian McNally (Unthanks) on piano, Dean Ravera on double bass, Chris Hibbard on trombone, Paul Ruddick on saxophone and clarinet and Peter Tickell (Peatbog Fairies,

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

Kathryn Tickell Kathryn Tickell, OBE, DL (born 8 June 1967) is an English musician, noted for playing the Northumbrian smallpipes and fiddle. Music career Early life Kathryn Tickell was born in Walsall, then in Staffordshire, to parents who originated from N ...

Band) on fiddle. The duo also contributed to a range of other people's work, including viola and vocals from Farrell on

Emily Portman Emily may refer to: * Emily (given name), including a list of people with the name Music * "Emily" (1964 song), title song by Johnny Mandel and Johnny Mercer to the film ''The Americanization of Emily'' * "Emily" (Dave Koz song), a 1990 son ...

's album ''The Glamoury''. Farrell is also part of the Emily Portman Trio and The Furrow Collective (the Trio joined by Alasdair Roberts). Kearney played piano on The Unthanks' autumn 2011 tour of

Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is a retired English musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming para ...

and Antony Hegarty songs.

Discography

''The North Farm Sessions'' EP'' #" Hares on the Mountain" ( Roud 329) (Traditional, arranged by Farrell/Kearney) #"Sweetheart" (Kearney, arranged by Farrell/Kearney/Rogers) #"Benjamin Brown" (Kearney, arranged by Farrell/Kearney) #"To a Boy" (Farrell, arranged by Farrell/Kearney) #"Letters to Lenore" (Kearney, arranged by Farrell/Kearney) #"Lullaby" (Kearney, arranged by Farrell/Kearney) ''Kite'' album #"There’s a Disease" (Kearney) #"Just Like the Old Days" (Kearney) #"Winter Got Lost" (Farrell) #"Green Leaved Trees" (Kearney) #"Down in Adairsville" (Traditional, arranged by Kearney/Farrell/McNally) #"I Write this Note" (Kearney) #"Stand Up Show" (Kearney) #"A Dream" (Kearney) #"Call Yourself a Friend of Mine" (Kearney) #"Swing Low" (Kearney) #"Peggy Gordon" (Traditional, arranged by Kearney/Farrell/McNally) #"Jack and Jill" (Kearney) "Green Leaved Trees" digital single #"Green Leaved Trees" (Kearney) #"Winter Got Lost" (Farrell) #"Letters to Lenore" (Kearney, arranged by Farrell/Kearney) (recorded live in Newcastle, 2 October 2011) #"No one can love you"(Traditional, arranged by Kearney/Farrell/McNally)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kearney, Jonny and Lucy Farrell English folk musical groups English musical duos Folk music duos Male–female musical duos Musical groups from Kent People from Hexham People from Maidstone